Friday, September 25, 2020

Tears of Crimson Favorite Products of 2020

 



So let's be honest, 2020 has been an insane year, and we've all had to make some serious changes to keep our sanity.  I thought I'd talk about some of the things that have made my life a little easier this year, and hopefully help make the rest of your year better.  These are my favorite products, thoroughly vetted by yours truly.  

If I had to list one item that tops my list of life-saving products for my household this year, it would be the bidet.  Hey, don't look at me that way!  The toilet paper shortage drove me nuts, especially since I have six people in my household that go through tons of the stuff.  On a whim, I picked up an inexpensive addition to the throne and it's by far the greatest purchase I've made for these crazy times. 

Luxe Bidet Neo 185



I was able to install this myself, which should tell you how easy it was to do, because I'm not very handy when it comes to putting things together.  Now granted, you still want toilet paper to dry off your private parts, but in a pinch you could use it without and it does a great job of keeping things clean.  Even without the toilet paper shortage, I honestly couldn't imagine not having this now.  It's become my favorite part of the bathroom.




5 Pack Reusable Cotton Fabric Masks


No matter where you stand on the mask wearing, the fact is we had to have them to shop, so coming in at number two of my sanity saving list were these washable masks.  I didn't like the idea of buying one-time use masks because with my family we'd be investing our life-savings in them.  Obviously, not literally, but it made no sense to me to keep buying the same product when I could throw these in the wash and save myself a few dollars.  My kids went back to school this year, so they worked great for this purpose as well.   I bought two packs of them, and each pack was around $10.


K-Compact Single-Serve K-Cup


So what happened the first day we went into lock-down in my state?  My $300 coffee maker decided it was done working and left me in a state of panic.  Me without my coffee is a sight no one wanted to see and I picked up this little life saver thinking it would get me by for a while.  I ended up liking it more than my fancy coffee maker, and we've now become best friends!  I was pretty dang skeptical about drinking pod coffee, since I loved grinding my own beans for the freshest cup of coffee.  Maybe I'm not the coffee snob I once was, because I've come to like the K-cups more.  I think we were all worried about cash flow when this all begin, which is why I picked this up for less than $70.  I have to admit that buying coffee pods from https://www.higgybean.com/ probably has a lot to do with why I now love coffee pods.  If you haven't tried them out, I strongly suggest you do so.


GooDee 2020 HD Video Projector Outdoor Movie Projector


Let's be honest, having kids at home with no way to entertain them is a living nightmare.  One of the ways we were able to combat this was by having an outdoor home theater movie night.  We set ours  up on our pool deck and swam while we enjoyed a great movie.  One of the things we really missed about the lock down was going to the movies, and this little sanity saver gave us a fun way to go back to the movies without ever leaving our home.  There's something really fun about watching movies outside and the snacks are much cheaper at my house as well.



Indoor and Outdoor Inflatable Blow up Projector Screen


We loved the outdoor blow up screen because it was easy to store when we were done watching.  It takes less than ten minutes to set-up and came with a electric pump to inflate it.  This worked really well for our poolside cinema and I look forward to many more years enjoying movies this way.  For a family of six this really is the least expensive way to entertain our large crew.  

These are my life-saving sanity products that simply made my life easier.  I hope some of these things will give you new ideas on how to have a great time with your friends and family.  Let me know if you decide to try any of them.  If you have some tips that worked for you, share as well.  I hope the rest of your year is a little brighter, and thanks for supporting Tears.  We're all in this together! 

Thursday, September 24, 2020

Master of Control - Sienna Snow

 




Title: Master of Control
Series: Gods of Vegas #5
Author: Sienna Snow
Genre: Dark Romantic Suspense
Release Date: September 24, 2020


BLURB

I'm a prize, a treasure, something to cherish. Or so I've been told.

But I know the truth. I'm a commodity recently sold to the highest bidder.

Sebastian Weber is ruthless, heartless, calculating, and my new husband. Power is the weapon he wields and control is his game.

I should fear him, resent him, but instead I'm drawn to him, craving his slightest touch, wanting every part of him.

Leaving him isn't an option, and staying means shattering his world.







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AUTHOR BIO


Inspired by her years working in corporate America, Sienna loves to serve up stories woven around confident and successful women who know what they want and how to get it, both in - and out - of the bedroom.

Her heroines are fresh, well-educated, and often find love and romance through atypical circumstances.  Sienna treats her readers to enticing slices of hot romance infused with empowerment and indulgent satisfaction.

Sienna loves the life of travel and adventure.  She plans to visit even the farthest corners of the world and delight in experiencing the variety of cultures along the way. When she isn't writing or traveling, Sienna is working on her "happily ever after" with her husband and children.


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Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Ruthless Prince - Faith Summers

 

 



Title: Ruthless Prince
Series: Dark Syndicate #1
Author: Faith Summers
Genre: Dark Mafia Romance
Release Date: September 16, 2020


BLURB

We were destined for disaster from the second we met …
Massimo D’Agostino is the heir to his father’s empire. 
Don’t be fooled by his handsome face, or that piercing blue gaze. 
He’s no prince charming. 
He’s dangerous and feared, possessive and fierce. 

Our first meeting began with a contract that forced me to marry him and sign my life away.
I was a debt repayment and a pawn in his game to exact revenge against my father. 
The only way out is death. 
I belong to him now. 
Me, the Balesteri Mafia Princess. 
Pure and untouched… 
Owned by the devil who placed me in a gilded cage. 

But something unexpected happened the moment our paths collided.
It made me want more of what he had to offer every time I lay beneath him.

Then the past came knocking at the door and dark secrets scattered at my feet.
Suddenly I don’t know truth from lies. 
Or, who the monster in this story is. 
I thought it was my husband. 
Now I’m not so sure… 

“Ruthless Prince” is the first book in the Dark Syndicate series. It is a stand-alone Dark Mafia Enemies to Lovers Arranged Marriage Romance, complete with HEA and no cliffhangers. 

Please note: this book is a dark mafia romance that contains mature content, graphic violence and may contain triggers. If such materials offend you, please do not read. 







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EXCERPT

“You can’t have me,” I cry.
“The contract we signed earlier says different, Princess.” He smiles. “We will be married in one month’s time and that is all you need to know.”
“There must be some other way my father can pay you back. Let me go.”
“No. I’m the one the debt is owed. I choose how I want to be paid.”
“There must be some other way.”
“I’m sure there is, except I’ve done exactly what I wanted to do,” he answers.
My heart squeezes. This is the man I’m supposed to marry. While he looks like a fairytale prince, he’s not.
“It’s wrong. You must know that.”
“Stop it,” he orders. His smile fades. That cool, calm demeanor returns, and I realize then that this is his dangerous side. “Stop trying to prey on my good side. I don’t have one.”
“Don’t you have a heart?” I make one final attempt to reach whatever I see in him that might resemble something human.
“No.” He smirks, and my soul quivers.
This is crazy.
There’s only one thing I can do.
Escape...







AUTHOR BIO


Faith Summers is the Dark Contemporary Romance pen name of USA Today Bestselling Author, Khardine Gray.
Warning!! Expect wild romance stories of the scorching hot variety and deliciously dark romance with the kind of alpha male bad boys best reserved for your fantasies.
Dive in and enjoy her naughty page-turners. 


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Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Wreck - Cora Brent

 




Title: Wreck
Series: Gentry Generations #5
Author: Cora Brent
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Release Date: September 22, 2020



Blurb

THOMAS 
Not too long ago my future was all mapped out. 
Then two brutal swings of a steel bat wielded by a maniac wrecked my world. 
The adrenaline high I used to get from pitching a perfect game is gone. 
The major league dreams I counted on have vanished. 
And the peace of mind I took for granted is shattered. 
The thrills I seek out now are self-destructive. 
I know this and I can’t stop. 
What I didn’t expect is for my downward spiral to be interrupted by a shy beauty with a messy past. 
Gracie and I very different. 
And yet we’re tragically alike. 
I can prove to her that we’re supposed to be together. 
All she has to do is give me the chance. 
And all I have to do is remember how to be the guy she thinks I am. 

GRACIE 
I’ve learned the hard way that one reckless mistake can topple your house of cards. 
And I thought I was finished taking chances. 
But Thomas Gentry made it clear he was on a mission to break my armor and guys like Thomas didn’t come along every day. 
He was as charming as he was headstrong, as sexy as he was protective. 
He put all the book heroes I’ve ever drooled over to shame. 
Falling for Thomas was inevitable. 
And I was his before I understood something important. 
We both need to find a way to heal ourselves. 
Otherwise we might ruin each other forever... 







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Excerpt

I searched for a way to explain the schism that was me. 
The old Gracie and this Gracie. 
“Thomas, there’s a wall that cuts right through my life. It’s like I was one person before Track and a different person after. I’m not explaining well so I know that probably doesn’t make any sense.” 
He held up our joined hands. His was the right hand, his scarred hand. 
“It makes complete sense.” There was a sad sympathy in his words. Our paths hadn’t been the same at all but he understood. Before his attack he’d been the all star athlete, leader of a charmed life, destined for greatness. He’d left college, abandoned his training. He was still trying to figure out where he stood, and where to go from here. We were different, but alike in an important way. 
Transferring over into his lap felt like the most natural move in the world. He pulled me right in and when our mouths met this kiss was unlike the other ones we’d shared so far. The connection was sweeter, more familiar. We had not known each other long but we were not strangers. I liked him so much already. More than I should. 
And the physical attraction between us was ferocious. When he touched me I felt like I’d been lit on fire. Like I’d been awakened. 
We kissed and teased and it didn’t take long to escalate. I tugged his shirt up, reveling in the feel of his hard muscles beneath my palms. His hands went beneath my shirt, all the way up my back, and he groaned when he found only bare skin. We were both being aggressive, both of us trying to push the limits. He wanted me to move, to shift into a straddle, and I could feel him, hard and insistent, trying to reach me through slight layers of summer fabric. The elastic band in my hair was freed and Thomas sucked my neck hard, making me whimper and hope that he’d do more, take more. 
Which he did. 
He slipped his hands down the back of my shorts, into my panties. We moved together in torturous rhythm, grinding, teasing, mimicking the act we really wanted and couldn’t have yet. 
I stifled a gasp and buried my face in his warm neck. “I want to do this.” My hips bucked and I rode him through our clothes. The need to seek relief was almost unbearable. “I really want to, Thomas. But we probably shouldn’t.” 
“I know. We shouldn’t do this yet.” He groaned and arched one last time and I was nearly at the precipice, could almost feel how it would be to have him inside of me. 
Mind blowing. Shattering. Fucking magnificent. 
Thomas withdrew his hands from my shorts and braced them on my hips, holding me away just a little, just far enough so we could catch our breath and let the temptation ease for now…. 






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Author Bio


Cora Brent was born in a cold climate and escaped as soon as it was legally possible. Now, she lives in the desert with her husband, two kids and a prickly pear cactus she has affectionately named ‘Spot’. Cora’s closet is filled with boxes of unfinished stories that date back her 1980’s childhood and all her life she has dreamed of being an author. Amazingly, she is now a New York Times and USA Today bestselling writer of contemporary romance and begs not to be awakened from this dream.


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Sunday, September 20, 2020

Pumpkin Spice Mud Pie

 



It's the Mississippi mud pie with a twist ready to bring you right into pumpkin season.   I was goofing around last night and decided I wanted to see what I could do with pumpkin mix, white almond bark, cream cheese and a few other favorite ingredients.  It turned into a delicious new dessert, so I thought I'd share.  


Ingredients:

1 Can Pumpkin Pie Mix (30 oz)

3 Cups Ground Graham Crackers (honey)

12 TBS butter (melted)

2 Boxes Instant Vanilla Pudding (3.4 oz)

1/4 cup milk

1 8 oz pkg Cream Cheese 

12 oz Vanilla Almond Bark

2/3 cup White sugar

1 Tsp Cinnamon

2 Cups Confectioner Sugar


Directions:


Step 1: Mix graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, white sugar, and cinnamon thoroughly then press into a 11x15 baking dish.




Step 2: Mix cream cheese, confectioners sugar, pumpkin spice and 1/4 cup of milk until blended well and smooth. Carefully spread it over the graham cracker base.




Step 3: Mix instant pudding and milk until smooth, then add in pumpkin pie mix and mix again until smooth. Carefully spread it over the cream cheese, pumpkin base.



Step 4: Melt vanilla almond bark according to instructions on package. Carefully spread it over the pudding and pumpkin base.



Step 5: Refrigerate until completely set. 3 hours.


Full disclosure, I probably won't use the almond bark again, because it made it overly sweet.

Some other ideas: You could add pecans on top to give this a great crunch.
You could do the traditional Mississippi Mud crust ( flour, pecans and butter mixed well cook at 350 for 15 minutes but that's adds a cooking time which I didn't want to do).

I'll dress it up better the next time I mix it, but this was so much fun and I had to share!

Friday, September 18, 2020

Stay With Me Now - Kaci Rose

 




Title: Stay With Me Now
Author: Kaci Rose
Genre: Time Travel Rockstar Romance
Release Date: September 17, 2020



Blurb

He would change the face of music... unless their love rewrote history.

In the year 2009, Ivy stepped through the time door not knowing what to expect. To her mind blowing surprise, she found herself in the era of poodle skirts and soda shops.

The year is 1957 and David Miller is beginning his rise to stardom that will live on long after his untimely death. Unless history is somehow thrown off course...

The instant their eyes meet, electricity crackles between them. But his history is written, and she plays no part in it. Or does she? Can Ivy help keep his legacy intact and save him from having his life cut tragically short? Was history rewritten the moment she cracked open the door to the past?

This is a Steamy, Time Travel, Rock Star Romance. No Cliffhangers.
As always there is a satisfying Happy Ever After.
If you love steamy romances with some insta love, hot love scenes, time travel, rock stars, and a man who knows what he wants then this one is for you.







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Author Bio


Kaci Rose runs on coffee, chocolate, and Oreos. She writes the type of romance books she wants to read.
Kaci loves her book boyfriends with tattoos, muscles, beards, and a little dirty.


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